


Bring Your Child To Work Day

by Never_Eat_Sour_Wheat



Series: Tommy and G-Dad [4]
Category: HLVRAI - Fandom, Half-Life
Genre: Autistic Character, Body Horror, Family Fluff, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, I get so nervous about using the autistic character tag but I did my best, Infodumping, Nonverbal Communication, Stimming, Workplace, but very mild
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-18 12:42:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28992372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Never_Eat_Sour_Wheat/pseuds/Never_Eat_Sour_Wheat
Summary: G-Man accidentally missed an earth holiday that means that Tommy doesn't have to go to school, but it's too late for him to call in to work. Tommy gets to explore his dad's job a little, and hopefully not get eaten along the way...
Relationships: Tommy Coolatta & The G-Man, Tommy Coolatta & The G-Man's Employers
Series: Tommy and G-Dad [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2126151
Comments: 8
Kudos: 35





	Bring Your Child To Work Day

**Author's Note:**

> Tommy doesn't get eaten, don't worry.
> 
> Like I put in the tags, I get so nervous to use the tag "autistic character" but also,,,, Tommy absolutely is. If I've somehow messed it up in some way, please let me know and I'll fix it! I hope you enjoy!

“And you promise to be on your very b-best behavior?” G-Man asked. He was kneeling down, his hands resting gently on Tommy’s shoulders. 

“I promise,” Tommy said, surprisingly serious. He was wearing some of his best clothes, which most children would complain about on one of the days they didn’t have to go to school. Tommy didn’t seem to mind though, he just fiddled with the bottom button on his shirt. “I’ll be quiet as a mouse!”

G-Man chuckled and stood up. He offered his hand to Tommy, and he took it. “You don’t necessarily have… to be quiet. And I know you will be polite. I am just asking for… my own peace of mind,” he said. Tommy nodded and squeezed his hand. G-Man began to lead them through the void, towards a place even further within that didn’t exactly have a name. They couldn’t even walk the whole way there. 

G-Man’s employers liked to keep their business very private.

G-Man had had Tommy for two years now, and he was slowly catching up with things on earth and how they had changed. Tommy’s excited stories about what he’d learned in class and what he’d seen on his walk home were always helpful. G-Man knew that most eight years olds should not walk home alone, but Tommy would always be safe, as long as G-Man knew where he was. And he could always tell where Tommy was. One thing he was still catching up with were holidays. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d celebrated any of them before Tommy had come home with him. Tommy liked to celebrate some of the big ones, and G-Man was hardly one to refuse such a simple request from his son. But the smaller ones, particularly the ones that moved, still escaped his grasp. His employers were surprisingly understanding of him having a commitment outside of work now, but he couldn’t call out of work on the day of, even if schools had been shut down for Labor Day. 

So, Tommy was coming with him to work.

Contrary to what some people might think, G-Man’s employers did have an office. He didn’t wear his suit in an attempt to intimidate (although it did help), he simply had a dress code to follow. He couldn’t spend every day searching out new people for his employers to hire, nor could he spend every day doing any errands for them that they could think of. Sometimes, a “government man” had to do some paperwork. He gripped Tommy’s hand particularly tightly as he stepped over an invisible threshold. He felt Tommy shudder when they stepped to the other side of what they couldn’t see.

The office building was… surprisingly normal. Black, and so modern that it was actually futuristic, but even someone who didn’t know what they were looking at could identify it as an office building. The inside was more old fashioned, and it stretched much further than it should have given the size of the building from the outside. Tommy clung tightly to G-Man’s suit coat as they walked through the lobby, and G-Man ran his fingers through Tommy’s hair gently to try and sooth him. He could understand such a large place being upsetting to such a small boy. Still, Tommy put on a brave face, and G-Man couldn’t help smiling.

“G-Man, who’s this?” Someone asked as she approached them carefully.

Tommy gripped G-Man’s suit coat tightly, but G-Man gently ran a hand through his hair again. “This is… my son, Tommy,” G-Man said. 

“H-hi!” Tommy said. His voice shook, but he still smiled brightly and offered his hand for the young woman to shake. “It’s nice to meet you!” G-Man felt his heart swell with pride.

The woman smiled, and shook his hand gently. “It’s nice to meet you too,” she said kindly. “Did I miss a memo about bring your child to work day?”

“N-no,” G-Man replied, “I just… couldn’t find someone to look after him, last minute. So, he is… here with me, today.”

The young woman nodded and stood at her full height again. Well, for the first time. Tommy jumped when she finally straightened to nine feet tall. “Well, I hope the bosses aren’t too upset. He seems like a good kid. I’d hate for you to lose him.” She grinned, flashing razor sharp teeth.

“Your jokes are… not funny,” G-Man said, clearly unamused. Tommy was now clinging to his leg, hiding his face. “Do not forget that I am… your superior.”

“You’re so uptight!” The woman complained. She rolled her eyes and turned to get back to her station. “I’ll see you later, G-Man!”

“Hmm… let’s hope not,” G-Man whispered. It made Tommy giggle quietly, but he sniffed a moment later. G-Man knelt beside him and carefully took his face in his hands. He wiped away the few tears that were clinging to Tommy’s cheeks. “You’re safe… with me, sweetheart. I won’t let anyone hurt you. N-not ever.” Tommy nodded and hugged G-Man tightly. He decided to carry Tommy this time, not letting anyone get a good look at his son before he could have a word with his employers. 

G-Man hated to admit it, but he was slightly nervous about how they would react to Tommy. They had been fine with G-Man having a son, and needing to take different hours because of him, but they’d never said anything about Tommy coming in to work with G-Man. Well… one of them had mentioned G-Man possibly keeping his family in the business, but it clearly meant much later in Tommy’s life. G-Man’s employers were strange, and occasionally cruel, but not cruel enough to let a human eight year old do what G-Man and his co-workers did. G-Man kissed Tommy’s temple, before he sat him down on the ground again. “Now, Tommy, you’re going to… meet my employers, alright?” He said carefully. Tommy nodded. He’d recovered from crying earlier, but G-Man could tell he was still nervous. “Do you think you can speak to… them?” He asked. Tommy stood still for a moment, before he shook his head. “That’s alright, sweetheart. I will… make sure that they understand.” He took Tommy’s hand again, and took a deep breath before he opened the door in front of them.

G-Man’s employers couldn’t exactly be perceived by anything that had once been human. Or… anything else, really. No one was even entirely sure what they were. Old gods, eldritch beings, aliens, something that used to be something that others could comprehend but had left that behind for power and knowledge… there were a lot of theories and rumors. All that you could tell when you looked at them was a single feature, and none of them seemed human, or even adjacent.

“G-Man?” The one with horns asked. “What are you doing here?” It’s voice bellowed, and literally sent wind down upon G-Man and Tommy.

Tommy quickly covered his ears, and G-Man gently put a hand on his shoulder. “Sir, I… don’t mean to be rude, but…” G-Man bit his lip for a moment, before continuing, “my son is with me, and he is… only human. I would appreciate it i-if you could… keep your voice down?”

“Why is he here?” The one with the wispy voice asked. It was much quieter, and Tommy carefully removed his hands from his ears.

“I have… missed a holiday on earth. I believe, more specifically, in… America. He is not in school f-for the day, so I… had to bring him in,” G-Man said.

“Can he not speak for himself?” The one with feathers asked.

“Not at… the moment. Tommy has difficulty speaking when… he is faced with new circumstances,” G-Man explained. The one with horns nodded, and the one with a constantly shifting skull for a head carefully leaned down to get a closer look at the two of them. “I understand that it is… unconventional for a… human child to be here, b-but unless you send me home, I c-cannot have him anywhere else.”

G-Man’s employers looked at each other for a moment, and G-Man felt static in the air. Tommy gripped his suit coat tightly, and he knew that he felt it too. It meant that his employers had paused time to discuss the matter, but for Tommy, G-Man, and anyone else in the world, only a second passed. “He may stay,” G-Man’s employer with a wispy voice said, “but please keep him under control.”

G-Man visibly relaxed, although not by much. Being in the presence of his employers made any being slightly anxious. “Thank you,” he said. He bowed his head to them, and Tommy did the same.

“Th-thank you,” he whispered as well. 

G-Man could have sworn he heard the one with the ever shifting skull make a cooing noise as he guided Tommy out of the massive, inky black room. “You did wonderfully, my dear,” he said to Tommy.

“Thank you, Dad,” Tommy replied. He seemed to be distracted, and G-Man noticed that he flinched when someone walked down the hall beside them. 

“Would you like something to… play with?” G-Man asked.

“Huh?” Tommy asked. G-Man paused in the middle of the hallway and took a tangle from his suitcase. Tommy’s face lit up when he saw it, and he took it gratefully. “Thank you, Dad!” He said again, much more cheerful this time.

“Of c-course, sweetheart,” G-Man replied with a smile. “Now… come with me. You’ll have to come see where I work.”

* * *

Tommy sat on G-Man’s desk for most of the morning. He would occasionally hop down to go to the bathroom, or to get a drink of water, but he mostly sat beside his dad. He played with his tangle, and kicked his feet, both actions calming to him. G-Man had come prepared, even if Tommy hadn’t, so when he got bored, he was given a small journal that he could write in. Tommy liked to write down anything he could think of, from lists of his favorite things to small stories (usually about magical animals). G-Man felt a little bad for leaving Tommy without something more engaging to do, but this really had been last minute, and Tommy didn’t seem to mind.

Unfortunately, G-Man became so wrapped up in his paperwork that it took him far too long to realize that Tommy hadn’t returned from another bathroom trip. He tried not to panic as he glanced around, and checked with a few co-workers. The young woman from that morning at least had the decency to look concerned that Tommy was missing, even if G-Man could tell that she wasn’t. He could also tell that she wasn’t guilty, so he moved on quickly. His steps were much faster as he made his way down hallways, trying to find Tommy. He always knew where his son was, yes, but something right now was… different. He was aware that Tommy was still in the building, but he didn’t know exactly where, and he was sure that he was safe. He had just begun to run down the hallway towards the lobby, when he heard Tommy’s voice. 

“...and just because he’s a mouse doesn’t mean he can’t save the princess!” Tommy was saying. “It’s a really lovely story… but it always makes me want to eat soup.” Tommy giggled, and other voices laughed as well. G-Man stopped in front of the slightly ajar door to his employers office. He peeked inside and saw the four of them seated around Tommy like he was the most interesting thing in the world. “You should read it sometime! I can try and bring you a copy… although maybe my dad should bring it instead. There was a really tall lady we saw earlier who scared me and-”

“Tommy?” G-Man said cautiously as he stepped inside. All eyes snapped to him, and Tommy’s face lit up.

“Dad! I was telling your bosses about the book we’ve been reading in class!” He said. He jumped up and down in place excitedly. “I was going to tell them about how you started teaching me piano next!”

“I didn’t know you could play, G-Man,” the being with the ever shifting skull said. 

“We’ll have to invest in a piano somewhere,” the one with the wispy voice added. “I’m sure some of your co-worker would enjoy hearing you play.” It smiled down at Tommy, and he beamed back. “Perhaps Tommy can play as well, someday.”

G-Man was standing by the doorway, gawking as his employers spoke with Tommy about the easy pieces he’d been learning over the past few weeks, and the more complex ones he wanted to play when he got better. The idea of his employers being this engaged with… anything that wasn’t work was something that G-Man had never considered a possibility. He was sure that none of his co-workers had considered it either. “I… I…” He tried to say something, but nothing would come out.

Tommy turned to him nervously, and he began to rock back and forth on his heels. “I’m sorry, Dad,” he said quietly, “I know you said not to wander off, but Sprite and Crush said they wanted to ask me about some earth stuff, and then Pepsi asked about school, and Fanta got excited when I told them about the book we’re reading. I didn’t mean to be gone for so long…”

G-Man was _very_ aware of the four sets of eyes that were, quite literally, boring into his soul while they waited for his response. He normally would have apologized to his employers and given Tommy a stern talking to, but… well, they all appeared to have been having fun. “I-it’s alright, dear,” he finally said. “Although I would… appreciate it if you c-could tell me where you’re going to… be next time you do something like this.” 

Tommy nodded, still looking a little bit ashamed of himself. “I will, promise,” he said. 

“Thank you, sweetheart,” G-Man replied. He glanced at his employers and then back at Tommy. “Um… I suppose I should g-get back to work… yes?” 

“Of course,” the being with feathers said, “you’re here for a reason after all.”

G-Man nodded. “And… what about…”

“We’ll look after your progeny,” the being with the ever shifting skull said. “You can come pick him up when your shift is over.”

G-Man looked over his employers warrily. He revered them, yes, but… he wasn’t completely sure they were trustworthy. Still, they stared him down, and he knew that he couldn’t say no, even if he wanted to. Especially when Tommy gave him puppy dog eyes as well. “Y-yes,” G-Man said, “I’ll be here at five o’ clock.” He bowed his head to his employers again, and waved at Tommy before he left the office.

“Isn’t my dad the best?” Tommy asked, and G-Man smiled from the hallway.

* * *

“But why would the English version be so incorrect?” The being with the wispy voice asked as G-Man stepped into his employers’ office at five o’ one.

“I don’t know!” Tommy said, clearly exasperated. “Bit Beasts aren’t trapped in the BeyBlades! Translations are just weird…” He stuck his tongue out, and G-Man had to hide a chuckle behind his hand when the being with horns attempted to replicate the action.

“Tommy, it’s time to… go home,” G-Man said, making his presence known. 

Tommy jumped and turned to look at him. “Aw, can’t I stay a little while longer?” He asked. “I was finally getting to explain Bit Beasts to Sprite!”

G-Man smiled, but he shook his head. “If we d-don’t go home soon, you’ll start… to complain about being hungry,” he said.

Tommy sighed, but he carefully stood up. G-Man was right, and they both knew it. “Okay,” he said, but he did pout ever so slightly. “Goodbye Sprite! And Crush, and Fanta, and Pepsi!” He waved exaggeratedly at G-Man’s employers, and they waved back.

“Goodbye, Tommy,” the being with the ever shifting skull said. “We hope to see you again soon!”

“Perhaps you could play us a song on the piano next time,” the being with the wispy voice suggested. 

“Hey, yeah! That’ll be fun!” Tommy said. He ran to G-Man and gave him a big hug, before taking his hand. “C’mon, Dad, I’ll have to go practice so I can play something good next time!”

“Alright, dear, I’m coming,” G-Man said. He gave his employers a grateful smile just before Tommy dragged him out the door. The two of them continued down the hallways towards the lobby. “Tommy, if I may ask… which one was which?”

“Huh?” Tommy said. G-Man waited for the words to catch up with Tommy so he could answer. “Oh! Well… the one with the horns is Pepsi, and the one with the skull is Crush, and the one with the pretty voice is Sprite, and then the one with feathers is Fanta!”

“Oh, really?” G-Man asked. “And why is that?” He listened as Tommy listed off reasons why each of his employers deserved their individual soda names. At least he had an idea on what to give to them for the office Christmas party now.

**Author's Note:**

> The book Tommy is talking about is The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo. It's one of my favorite books ever, and she's one of my favorite authors ever, so I highly recommend it!!!


End file.
